How to tell?
by tensai di-chan
Summary: RuHana  Yaoi . Rukawa contemplates how to tell his feelings for the do'aho with hilarious consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: My first fic after 7 years. I thought of trying my hand again at writing. I certainly hoped I've matured as a writer. Tell me what you think, flames or otherwise. Thanks! RuHana again, obviously

CHAPTER 1: THE PREDICAMENT

It all started innocently enough. It was a typical after-class practice for the Shohoku Basketball Team. It was a typical weekday afternoon perfect for practice, with the sun shining, birds chirping and leaves rustling in the breeze. Said team is also acting innocently enough with Ayako wielding her terror paper fan and bonking those unfortunate ones who happen to do certain things not compliant to her liking. Miyagi Ryota, newly appointed captain of the basketball team, is busy making heart-shaped eyes and blushing furiously at Ayako, while the target of his stares is pointedly ignoring those lovesick expressions. Just let me reiterate that Ayako is not dumb, far from it, but she is also insensitive enough to not give a damn. Kogure (visiting from Kanagawa University) and Mitsui are huddled in a corner, sharing small talk. They just announced their being lovers last week, albeit a few hundred dropped jaws and stunned silence. However, the team quickly adjusted to this revelation and learned to accept such fact. They also learned to give the two spaces from time to time. Hell, they've only been together a measly week. Give them a break! Sakuragi Hanamichi, the loud and annoyingly adorable redhead, is in the middle of the court practicing his supposed talent for dribbling and slam dunking while erupting to his 'Ore Wa Tensai' song much to the exasperation of his teammates. If it was not for the fact that his voice is like ten sharpened nails scratching a polished blackboard, then it wouldn't be so bad. But that is not the case, as his voice is enough to cause spine-tingling sensation nowhere near pleasurable. Akagi, who has volunteered to watch over the team to keep those troublemakers in line, is giving his famous head bashes by the bucket to the so-called tensai who have explicitly disregarded his instructions to practice his footwork along the perimeter of the court. "Baka! Basketball is not for slam dunks only!" There goes another head bash which would leave Hanamichi cursing and nursing his steaming head bump. That's the fifth one for that day and the Sakuragi Gundam, a few feet from the gym doors, are currently holding a betting game as to who could predict the number of head bash Sakuragi will receive from Gori after that practice. Ookusu and Takamiya are currently out of the running, betting a measly 3 and 4, respectively. The Rukawa Shinetai is crowding another corner, surprisingly devoid of high pitched screeches, whenever Rukawa Kaede, their self-appointed demi-god, was within 10 meters of their existence. You see, Rukawa Kaede returned to Shohoku after the season with the All-Japan Basketball teams much to the delight and reinforcement of his cheerleaders. They are no doubt practicing another of their puke-inducing and teeth grating Rukawa cheer that sounded suspiciously like this.

_Ru-ka-wa! Love you; miss you, Ru-ka-wa!_

_Rukawa! Love us too, RU-KA-WA!_

It's enough to make a devil out of any saint.

Akagi Haruko, as the new assistant team manager with her friends is quietly watching the progress of the practice. But let us not withhold the fact that Akagi Haruko gives more than the usual stares towards the Super Rookie (in this case Super Sophomore) of Shohoku High. 'Rukawa… You're still kawaii.'

However, if one would look closely, it was not a typical after-school practice after all. Not at all. If that someone happens to be looking at a specific someone for a specific period of time, then that person would have definitely noticed. Rukawa Kaede, resident narcoleptic kitsune and Ice Prince is AGITATED. Agitated might be too lukewarm a word at this point. Rukawa Kaede point blank is disturbed, a little undecided and the horror! Rukawa is feigning basketball practice. It seems that he is planning on doing something, only to retreat when that something is seconds from happening. If one would look more closely, said agitation and disturbance to his normally stoic façade is somehow connected to a certain red-head monkey laughing to himself a few steps away from a certain fox. If one would look a lot more closely, akin to increasing focus in a microscope, Rukawa Kaede seemed to be forcing himself to shorten the distance between him and the do'aho. Only to widen it again at some point if a teammate accidentally wanders to a less than comfortable distance from the two of them or if Sakuragi Hanamichi is in the danger of noticing his rather odd behavior. This goes on and on, eating away most of practice time.

_Study the do'aho._

_Feign concentration while dribbling._

_Few steps to shorten._

_Now quick! Large steps to widen. 'Tsk. He might notice. No one is that crude.'_

_Feign dribbling again._

_Repeat cycle._

Repeat cycle again until near comatose. Such awkward behavior did not escape Ayako-san's hawk-like scrutiny. For Rukawa's benefit, it would have escaped her notice if it happened a few times. But we're talking a huge chunk of the practice time here. It was bound to be noticed. And perhaps, Rukawa was hoping IT would be noticed.

'What is Rukawa doing?' Ayako thought. Deciding to put an end to the hullabaloo of Rukawa, Ayako spoke up. "Rukawa? Daijobu ka?"

Rukawa jumped slightly at the innocent question. A move that would be passed up by a non-observing entity. But not to Ayako. Rukawa nodded without looking at Ayako but the basketball he was holding. "Hai, sempai."

"Do you want to take a rest? You won't be missing much since we've only got ten minutes more of practice. I'm sure your beat."

Rukawa shook his head and cursed inwardly.

'Kuso! Only ten minutes more. I haven't got much time.'

The cycle commenced again without much success for Rukawa Kaede. However this time, the red-head do'aho finally, (FINALLY!), took notice. "Oi! Baka kitsune! What the hell are you looking at? You want a piece of me?"

'Yes.' Rukawa thought, almost drooling at the question. 'You don't know how much.'

This particular remark did nothing to the almost crumbly self-confidence of Rukawa when it concerned the red-head. With a sigh, Rukawa decided to just drop plan A of his mission and move to plan B. At least then, if given the go-signal, it would only serve to push through with the mission no matter how risky. Because at least then, he would have an audience and he wouldn't have much choice lest he risk appearing foolish. But Rukawa Kaede is never foolish. After giving the much appropriate reply of "Do'aho" to the redhead's question, Rukawa turns his back and proceeded to where Akagi was standing.

"Rukawa! Teme! Do not ignore the tensai!" Sakuragi marched towards Rukawa to give him the bodily harm he deserved. Rukawa promptly ignored the steaming do'aho.

"Sempai. I have something to say." Rukawa gravely stated. Akagi, at this, wrinkled his head in confusion. Rukawa is not much a talker to begin with and an announcement out of the blue is out of his character. It might also be outside his universe. Again people, let us not forget that this is not your typical after-school practice. How many timed do I have to remind you?

Although thoroughly bewildered, Akagi clapped his hands to catch everybody's attention.

"Minna! Gather round!"

After everyone formed a circle around them, with the regular onlookers and visitors also curiously waiting for what was going to be said. Anything that comes out of the mouth of a non-talker must be important and worthy of attention. And so it goes. History was about to be made.

'Kuso…' Rukawa cursed inwardly. Now that he was given the chance, he suddenly lost his ability to speak. Rukawa shuddered uncontrollably. 'Shit.' Rukawa dropped his gaze to the basketball he was clinging, finding it infinitely more interesting than what is was a minute ago.

Tense silence ensued as the audience waited for the so-called announcement. A few more minutes elapsed and… nothing. Everybody looked at everybody else while sporting identical sweatdrops.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, being the impatient and hot-headed person that he is cannot stand the fact that the limelight was on Rukawa again.

"Teme! Fox! Why aren't you speaking? You're wasting the tensai's precious time!"

At the sound of his redheaded do'aho, Rukawa twitched and came out of his stupor. He shifted his gaze at Sakuragi to a level that is not accepted as comfortable. Sakuragi blinked and swallowed hard as he held the icy gaze for he saw something flashed across the fox's eyes rather than the usual dose of loathing and superiority. 'Nande? Why is the fox looking at me in that foxy way?'

Kogure, noticing the unusual sparks between the two rivals, but not really comprehending started to stepped forward with all intention to break up the fight. However, Ayako pulled him harshly to the side. She smirked. "Let them be. It's about time, ne?" She said cryptically, leaving Kogure wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion.

Hanamichi forced his pitiful mind away from the mesmerizing gaze of Rukawa and snorted. "Yaro! Why are you looking at me like that, fox? Are you craving for some bodily harm?"

Hanamichi sputtered and shakily pointed at Rukawa to his teammates. "Lo-look! He's looking at the tensai with his stupid foxy eyes! Look!" He grabbed Yasuda by the neck and forced him to look at Rukawa just to prove his moot point. Miyagi came to Yasuda's rescue. "Yamette Sakuragi! Yasuda can't breathe!"

Apparently, that does it. Rukawa closed the distance between him and the do'aho, grabbed both side of his face and looked him into his eyes. Cobalt blue eyes mesmerizing chocolate brown ones. Sakuragi sported a look of utter disbelief, his lips opening and closing without making any sound like a fish out of water.

"I like this one."He then turned to his stunned audience who is looking more shocked and astonished by the minute. Jaws dropped everywhere and a couple of those cheerleaders fainted, conclusively from shock. "Thought you should know." He dropped the redhead, grabbed his gym bag, and stalked out of the door like he owned the whole world. He left a dumbfounded Sakuragi frozen at his spot, not quite believing what just happened, willing it to be a realistic nightmare.

'Good. That's out of my system.' Rukawa thought as he conveniently walked away from the gaping party.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: THE FUGITIVE

Hanamichi woke up with a startling headache and a premonition of something bad happening to him if he ever does go to school. This was after being harassed and plagued by the Rukawa Shinetai as they chased him home.

"I don't want to go to school." He moaned as he snuggled deep into his blankets. Alas, his mother won't let him be as he heard the familiar footsteps and familiar knocking on his bedroom door.

"Hana-kun. Get up or you'll be late." She called none too gently. "Don't give me the I'm-sick excuse, it won't work. Get a move on it!"

Hanamichi grudgingly trudged to the bathroom to get ready, dreading the moment he will enter Shohoku. 'Damn it, fox! This is your entire fault! The tensai's image is ruined!'

Cold sweats appeared on his temple, trailing down and staining his armpits and other body locations too disgusting for words as he enters the school of doom. 'So far so good. No sign of those crazy and rabid fangirls.' He walked carefully scanning the horizon left, right, back, front and center. 'No sign of the fox, either.' He muses, feeling a little bit, well, a little bit let-down. 'Nani? Do not go to that line of thinking tensai!' he scolded himself, not taking notice of a herd of rather obnoxious girls shouting murder at every loud step towards the oblivious redhead.

"Aka-atama! You're dead!" Their leader shouted at the top of her lung capacity while yielding weapons of sort that can yield untold body injury to anyone who dares to dare them. Hanamichi's eyes grew the sized of saucers and although he is not a stranger to fights and bruises (too many gang fights, mind you), he also made the sorry pact of not picking on girls, even if they are the annoyingly annoying Rukawa Shinetai. A promise he is regretting that moment for the girls' eyes are screaming for his blood. 'Blasted girls! They're lucky that the tensai is a gentleman.' He cursed under his breath and willing his legs to work faster to avoid contact with various objects being thrown at him.

"Baka! What have you done to Rukawa-sama? You're purposely sabotaging Rukawa-sama's reputation. Come back here, aka-saru!" shouted a particularly athletic girl who seems to make the habit of lifting weights due to the over-developed biceps and gastrocnemius.

After what seemed like hours of cat and mouse. "Teme! Quit following the tensai!" Sure he is athletic too and has stamina stronger than most Japanese teenagers, but a man can only take so much. The girls also seemed to have developed an organized way of hunting him for they chase him by batch. This must be the third batch for he noticed two groups of girls currently taking a break from the trail at the corner of his eyes. The girls have come prepared, what with the cups of sports drink being passed to those who desperately need them. Think marathon. 'Kuso! They just won't quit it!' It is also particularly hard to lodge objects being hurled at him from behind. He can't move his eyes backwards to catch a glimpse at those thrown stuff if he doesn't want to trip on his feet. Then it would be game over. One time, a red brassiere found his head that caused him to sweatdropped. At any rate, he wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the hound, the girls would be losing various articles of clothing. Mercifully, the alarm bell rang signaling the start of classes. This brought the chase to an abrupt end.

"You're lucky, baka. We'll get you after class. Mark our words." The leader of the Rukawa Shinetai promised, huffing and generally disappointed with the non-existent torture for the redhead. All those late practice and strategy orientation last night and still wasn't enough. Hanamichi furiously growled at those girls. "Teme! How many times do I have to tell you? Leave the tensai alone!" He shouted at the top of his lungs before proceeding to his own class.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he was momentarily out of the clutches of the Rukawa Shinetai. But relief was short-lived because as soon as the classes for that day are over, it's time again for round 2 with those girls. Time flies extra fast when you're dreading something. 'Kuso. I hope I can make it to the gym if I have to make a dash for it. Hopefully, with my body parts still intact.' But no can do and lady luck was not on his side that day. The rabid fan girls are hot on his heels the minute his shoe hit the first brick outside his last class.

"Eeeeeeeep!" was all he could utter after suffering the contact of a particularly pointy shoe and his nose. It was followed by a bang on his forehead, this time a backpack as the culprit.

"Yamero!" Hanamichi shouted as he slightly lost his balance from the onslaught.

"Baka! Stop harassing our Rukawa-kun!" screeched those girls, all the while still throwing random items at his direction.

'Won't they ever run out of stuff to hurl?' he wondered exasperated. "Those hurt a lot, you know?"

"That's what you get for tainting our Rukawa-sama!" they hollered back at him.

As it is futile to make those girls stop, he surrendered to what his primitive instinct is telling him. RUN. Run as fast as you can. Run as fast as his legs could carry him. And so he ran towards the gym, the first place his subconscious is guiding him. Naturally, he was late for practice that day and that earned him a combination of Gori bash and Ayako fan swat, adding bruises to his already bruised body and salt to his wounded ego.

"Why are you late, baka? Do 50 laps around the perimeter! Now!" Akagi shouted at him

"Itai! It was not my fault gori! It's those girls!" The chase was momentarily forgotten as the girls were testing the waters, what with Akagi nearby. Then all hell broke loose as the rabid fan girls did not show any indication of stopping the chase of causing extreme body damage to the redhead. On and on, the chase goes. On and on, they follow him around the court, still throwing random object in his direction.

'Damn it! They must have a truckload of ammunitions!'

At the corner of the pandemonium, the root cause of all this madness was quietly watching the commotion. Icy cobalt blue eyes are surveying the action while his pale marble-like façade is not indicating any sign of emotion. The girls reinforced their organized substitution of chasing to let some of their member rest while the others took over. Finally, Sakuragi Hanamichi notices the dark-haired fox, the reason for his unending nightmare, and this was enough to make his blood curdle at the sight of his nonchalant expression.

"RUKAWA! Yaro! This. Is. All. You. Fault! Take back what you said!" Hanamichi screeched, pointing at the fox. He no doubt made the kitsune hear whatever it is he was saying plus breaking a few eardrums in the process. The kitsune just rolled his eyes.

Huffing and puffing, it goes, on and on around the perimeter of the court. It's going to be a very long day. At one point, one can see Hanamichi's stamina silently relenting. Nobody made a move to help the redhead because either they found the situation too funny or they don't want to risk their particular health.

"Hanase! Make them stop! Please! Onegai! Kami-samaaaaa!" Hanamichi shouted and pleaded and cried to no one in particular. Rukawa, with an amused look in his eyes and a smile threatening to break from his lips, sighed inwardly. He finally took pity on his beloved redhead for after all, THIS was his own doing. He sighed again and positioned himself between the do'aho and the gaggle of girls insisting on harming him. He held out a hand and quietly said "Stop." This only successfully transformed the girls who were screaming for Hanamichi's blood a few seconds ago into a group of swooning and giggling airheads. They do not quite believe that Rukawa was actually talking to them.

"Yah! Rukawa-kun! Kawaii desu!"

The cacophony of the girls' scream are enough to rouse any dead alive.

"He's talking to us!"

"He's looking at me!"

"No! Me!

"It's me, he's looking at!"

"He's looking at the two of us!"

"He's falling in love with me!"

Everyone sweatdropped at this point.

Rukawa shook his head vehemently. "Iie. I meant what I said yesterday." With that he grabbed the redhead hard and planted a kiss on the stunned redhead with some added tongue action to prove his point. "And, I'm not possessed either." Two complete sentences from the fox. Things must be serious.

Hanamachi, on the other hand, after being aggravated all day was clearly at the point of breaking down. It seems that the simple mind of his could only take so much torture and just, well, short-circuited.

He lost consciousness.

It was dark when he stirred. "Ahou. Get up. It's getting late." Rukawa said in between kicks to his rear end, which proved to be very effective as the redhead was up and about in no time.

"Teme, fox! What are you playing at?" The redhead screamed and was about to launch the overdue punch when he suddenly remembered. He remembered quite clearly the accounts of what happened before he fainted. Blushing furiously, he quickly spun around to hide his discomfort.

"Whatever. I'm out of here." He fumed and stalked away.

"Do'aho, matte."

No reaction from Hanamichi.

"I said wait." Rukawa situated himself between the gym doors and the redhead.

"Yaro! Let me out!"

"Do'aho."

"Teme!"

"You can't get away that easily." Rukawa raised his eyebrows. "I never take no for an answer, ahou."

Being courted was an entirely new and weird disposition for Hanamichi for he is the one making all the moves during his earlier bouts with puppy love. New and weird but not exactly a displeasure.

"Get away from me!" He ran and made a go for the doors only to be tripped by the fox, successfully pinning him on the ground. He looked at the redhead's warm, brown eyes, willing him to understand all the pent-up emotions he has bottled up inside. Hanamichi averted his gaze. He was seemingly aware of the kitsune's body sprawled against his own on the gym floors. This caused him to blush furiously and realizing to his horror that he does not detest the body contact. At all.

'Oh, no.'

Rukawa sensed that he is no longer in trouble, jumped up to his feet and pulled Hanamichi. "I'll walk you home."

With that, he clasped their hands together. Hanamichi let Rukawa lead the way, every fiber of his being focused on the perfectly fitted intertwined hands.

'Well, it does feel nice.' Hanamichi said to himself. He looked wistfully at the fox, which was at the moment staring dead center at some point to his left but with a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks giving him away. 'Maybe I'll tell him next week or at the very latest, by the end of the month. No need to rush. I mean, those bruises really do hurt.'

However, fate must have had other plans for Rukawa shifted his gaze towards him and asked. "Ahou. Do you like me as well?"

'Shit.'

OWARI


End file.
